On the pressure to be pretty...

I was reading a post today written by chicalookate where she writes: "The return of leggings... Why? (If I can see your celulite your pants are too tight.)"

It reminded me of a post I read recently about being pretty*. A post which was inspired by a discussion about leggings.

Erin at A Dress A Day (a fashion blog) writes a post that sums up exactly how I feel whenever discussions about fashion faux pas crop up.

She writes: But what does you-don't-have-to-be-pretty mean in practical, everyday terms? It means that you don't have to apologize for wearing things that are held to be "unflattering" or "unfashionable" -- especially if, in fact, they make you happy on some level deeper than just being pretty does. So what if your favorite color isn't a "good" color on you? So what if you are "too fat" (by some arbitrary measure) for a sleeveless top? If you are clean, are covered enough to avoid a citation for public indecency, and have bandaged any open wounds, you can wear any color or style you please, if it makes you happy.


I have always felt somewhat uncomfortable when discussions come up about how people look and especially discussions about the clothes people wear but never have been able to verbalize well why I feel that way. This post says what I would have said if I had been able to come up with the words. No one owes it to anyone to be pretty or to dress a certain way. The only time I have personally heard such comments directed at me have usually been at the beach when people will sometimes remark that they think that fat people should just stay at home rather than subjecting normal people to the site of our fat rolls (a condition that apparently can ruin some beach goers whole day) and I have always felt that it seemed pretty arrogant of them to assume that I would have any interest in improving their aesthetic appreciation of the beach rather than being there for my own enjoyment.


*hat tip to Body Impolitic for the link.